


Well, This Is Certainly New

by Cinnabunni



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Angst, Angst and Feels, Character Death, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22524595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnabunni/pseuds/Cinnabunni
Summary: On an adventure with Della and Scrooge, Donald gets into an accident. Luckily, he survived. But, as we know, not everything works out for Donald.Honestly, it was lot more challenging than he thought it would be.(AU belongs to Bamboozledeagle on Tumblr!)
Relationships: Della Duck & Donald Duck, Della Duck & Donald Duck & Fethry Duck & Gladstone Gander, Della Duck & Donald Duck & Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck & Fethry Duck, Donald Duck & Gladstone Gander, Donald Duck & Scrooge McDuck
Comments: 27
Kudos: 206





	1. Falling Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bamboozledeagle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bamboozledeagle/gifts).



It was a pretty normal day for the McDuck family. Scrooge took the twins out on an adventure, exploring a cave for reasons Donald forgot. As Scrooge and Della explored the cave and dodged death traps, Donald followed behind, scanning every little thing to make sure his family wouldn’t get hurt. He would warn his uncle about certain traps that would be activated if he took the wrong step (he always felt some sort of pride when Scrooge would smile at him and tell him that he was doing a good job), and would grab and pull Della away from a few inches from a trap as she-quite literally-laughed at the face of death. He just wanted to keep his family safe.

Too bad he forgot about himself.

While he was focusing on saving Della’s life, he didn’t notice the ledge behind him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away, and within a few seconds, fire appeared underneath Della’s original spot. As she was laughing at the scene, and Donald was getting ready to berate his sister, he took a few steps back.

“Della, you really need to start paying more attention-” he was interrupted by finding no ground to support him. He didn’t realize that he was falling until he saw Della’s eyes widen in horror, and tried to reach out for him. If Della and Scrooge were calling out for him, he couldn’t hear it from the deafening wind. He wasn’t sure if it was from the adrenaline, or if he fell from a really high place (most likely the latter, if Donald was right about the geography of the cave), but he was falling for a long time. For how long, he didn’t know, but he did feel some sort of impact once he finally he the ground. His back ached in pain, but it didn’t hurt as much as his head did. He could feel a warm pool of liquid forming underneath his head, which he figured was blood. He was very surprised that he was even awake, or even alive at this point, but he didn’t really care to question it. He couldn’t really hear anything, everything sounded far away and like an echo to him. He only noticed that Scrooge and Della were there when the two were above him, Della crying, and Scrooge saying something along the lines of “You’ll be fine lad, I promise. Everything will be fine.” His vision slowly started to fade, as everything started to be consumed by blackness. He could hear Della’s voice, urging him to keep his eyes open. But, as her voice became quieter, Donald let his eyes close.

~~~ 

Donald woke up in a bed with pure white sheets. When he looked around, he realized that he was in a hospital. When he tried to get up, he found pounding in the back of his head. Wincing at the pain, he lay back down, holding his head, against the gauze that was wrapped around his head. He took a few deep breaths, as the pain slowly faded away. It came back though, as he heard a clear Scottish accent yelling in the other room.

“...Don’t care! I need to see my nephew!...”

“...Come back...when...and better…”

“...I’m Scrooge McDuck...she’s a complete mess...should be allowed to go in... see her brother!” Donald sighed as the doctor who was talking to his uncle came in.

“Oh! You’re awake! How are you feeling? Any pain?”

“Just my head,” Donald responded, and she nodded.

“Yes, that is to be expected from the height of that fall. We’ll put you on more pain meds, hopefully that will help the pain. Please alert someone if the pain continues. You know, it’s quite miraculous that you survived that fall. You’re one lucky duck, that’s for sure.” Donald chuckled, then immediately regretting with his head pounding. “So,” the doctor continued, “are you up to seeing your family? Or do you want to rest?”

“I want to see them.” Donald wasn’t sure how long he was out, put he knew he didn’t want Scrooge and Della to be worried any longer.

She gave Donald a smile. “Alright, I’ll bring them in, then.” As soon as she gave Scrooge and Della permission to enter, both entered and rushed to his side.

“Donnie! Oh my god, are you alright? I’m so sorry, it’s my fault that you fell down. Are you okay? What happened to you? The doctor said that it was a miracle that you survived that fall, and-”

“Della,” Donald said, holding his head, the pounding almost unbearable. “Can you please talk quieter? My head’s killing me right now.” Guilt flashed across Della’s face, but then turned into a sad smile.

“Sorry about that bro. But seriously are you okay?”

“I’m  _ fine _ , Dells. My back and head just hurts like crazy.”

“That was quite a fall, lad. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a concussion,” Scrooge said, and Donald just gave a shrug.

“How long was I out?”

“Almost twenty-three hours.”

“Twenty three?!” Donald shouted, but once again regretted his actions, as he held his head. Sighing, he laid back down. “How long do I have to stay here?”

“The doctor said they need to run a few more tests on you, to make sure everything's fine. We’re really happy to see you again, lad.” Donald smiled at his uncle, and gave a nod. Soon, his uncle and sister were kicked out, so they could run a few more tests on Donald. Everything was fine, in the end all he had was a concussion, so he would have to stay just for a few more days (his uncle and sister were not happy about this, but were unable to do anything). Everyday Della and Scrooge would come visit him, from when the visiting hour starts, till they were forced to leave by the nurses.

In a few days, Donald was allowed to leave the hospital. Della was ecstatic by the news, excited to finally have her brother back. When he got back to the manor, Scrooge made it clear that they were taking a break from adventures (Donald thought he meant that  _ he _ wasn’t gonna go on adventures, but surprisingly, Scrooge and della took a break as well). Della didn’t handle very well of being cooped up in the manor, but she tried for Donald.

After a while, the three started to go on adventures again. He could tell that his sister was always trying to be more careful, and that his uncle’s eyes were always on him, but he didn’t blame them. Things were slowly starting to go back to normal. Sure, Donald found a few things that were odd, like how he always felt cold (Della also sometimes mentioned that the air was cold around him), and that he couldn’t find a pulse whenever he searched for one, but things were normal for the most part. 

Until it wasn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU does not belong to me! This belongs to Bamboozledeagle at Tumblr, so go check them out!  
> https://bamboozledeagle.tumblr.com/  
> I hope you enjoyed this! Kudos and comments are always appreciated! Thanks!


	2. You Learn Something New Everyday

Donald was starting to get annoyed.

Yes, he understood why his sister and his uncle were watching him every second. He knew that they both felt guilty about The Incident (that’s what he and Della called it-The Incident), but it was starting to get on his nerves of how they were babying him. Was this how Della felt whenever he watched over her shoulder every three seconds? Probably not, since she didn’t have their uncle watching her as well. But he did.

He grumbled to himself, just wanting to go home. Thankfully, they were. Donald didn’t speak to Della or Scrooge for the entire way home, brooding in silence. If Della and Scrooge noticed, they didn’t say anything. Once they arrived home, he left Scrooge and Della to deal with their treasures, and left to his room. Growing frustrated, he laid on his bed, moving his face with his pillow. He  _ knew _ that he shouldn’t get angry with them, that they were just worried about him, but Donald couldn’t help it.

He didn’t move a muscle when he heard the door open and close, and heard quiet shuffling over to the bed on the other side of the room. He knew that it was his sister. He didn't say anything, afraid that he would end up just snapping at her. He instead took a few deep breaths into the pillow, in hopes of calming himself down.

“Hey, Donnie, what’s wrong? You haven’t been yourself today,” Della started, as Donald slowly removed the pillow from his face, and sat up to face his sister. “Are-are you hurt? Does your head still hurt? Your back? Should we go talk to Uncle Scrooge about it?”

“No,” Donald answered with a sigh, “I’m completely fine.”

“Well, something’s wrong! I can tell; we have a psychic link.”

Donald smiled, immediately feeling his anger melt away. “We do  _ not _ , Dells,” he said, with a shake of his head.

“We absolutely do! I don’t know why you don’t think so; there’s a lot of proof for it,” Della said, smiling. The two continued their banter, lifting Donald’s spirits. 

“But seriously Donald, if there’s anything wrong, you gotta tell Scrooge, ‘kay?” Della finished, her laughter dying out. Hearing this, Donald was brought back to why he was angry at her in the first place. 

“Della, you know that you don’t have to fret over me all the time...right?” Donald started, testing the waters of what he could say.

“I know that,” Della said, furrowing her eyebrows. “But we can’t forget that you and The Incident.”

“That was almost months now, Dells. I’m fine.” Della was quiet for a few seconds, and Donald could see anger growing in his sister’s eyes.

“We can’t just...just brush this off, Donald!” Della said, starting to raise her voice. “You got hurt-badly! So  _ I’m _ sorry that I just want to make sure you’re safe!”

Donald started to get angry as well. “I don’t need to be watched every second like a child!”

“Well, isn’t that a little hypocritical of you! You always watch me, making sure that I don’t get hurt or into trouble; what’s the difference between me watching you?”

“Because at least  _ I _ know how to take care of myself! Sure, I fell down-months ago, I might add-but I fell saving  _ your _ ass!  _ You _ were the one to blindly run into danger! At least I know what I’m doing, and know when to stop, and assess the situation! But no,  _ you  _ just ran into danger, forcing me to save you!” Della shook in anger, and Donald could see hurt in her eyes; but she was still angry.

“Well,  _ I’m _ sorry that I care for you! I just want to be sure that you’re safe! Do you think that I don’t know that I always run into danger, always needing you to catch me? I blame myself for you falling down, because it  _ was _ my fault! And guess what Donald: you could’ve  _ died _ ! Do you know what it’s like, seeing your body, bleeding out? I would’ve never forgiven myself if you had died! Neither would Scrooge! I just want you to be safe,” she said, her voice cracking, tears forming in her eyes. 

“I’m leaving,” Della said, wiping her tears, as she got up, and slammed the door behind her as she walked out. Still angry, Donald threw his pillow across the room. He wanted to break something-anything. So, he punched the wall. It wasn’t the first time he did this, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Pulling his hand back, he was surprised that he didn’t put a hole in it. Instead, he just had a bruised hand. He stayed in his room, festering in his anger towards Della.

After almost an hour of pacing in his room, Donald started to finally cool off. He decided to go see Della, and hopefully apologize. 

He took a deep breath, trying to be sure that he’s completely calm for when he talks to his sister. Walking through the door, Donald started to walk down the halls to search for his sister to apologize. He heard his uncle’s voice, and-

Wait.

Donald turned around, where he found his bedroom door closed. He didn’t remember opening or closing the door-or even hearing it-but maybe it was just because his mind was somewhere else. He reached for the doorknob, just in case. He wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going crazy.

He held in his breath when he saw his hand go through the door.

His eyes went wide as he stared at this, not knowing what to do. Slowly, he took a few steps forward, and completely went through the door, ending up on the other side; in his room. Donald started to hyperventilate. He didn’t understand what was happening, or why. Was this some sort of curse? He couldn’t remember if their last adventure’s treasure involved some sort of cursed item.

Suddenly, the door opened. Turning around, Donald smiled when he saw Della.

“Donald? Are you in here?” She asked, and Donald’s smile soon changed into a look of confusion.

“I’m right here, dummy,” Donald said, waving his hand in front of his sister. But there was no reaction. “Della?” Donald said, now stepping right in front of her.

“Donald? Are you not here?” Della asked again, and walked further into the room. And walked through Donald.

He suddenly couldn’t breathe. His sister couldn’t see him. He wasn’t there. She walked  _ through _ him.

“He isn’t here, Uncle Scrooge,” Della called out. Donald couldn’t move, just trying to comprehend everything that was happening.

“Well, I’m sure he’s out in the city; I’m sure he’s safe, lass,” Scrooge answered, outside in the hallway.

“But I never heard the front door open…” Della murmured to herself, and shook her head. Walking out of the room (and walking through Donald once again), she closed the door behind her, leaving Donald alone in the room.

Once he thought about it, it finally made sense to Donald. Why he could never find his pulse, why he was always cold, and how Della was cold whenever she was around him, why phone signals were always weird when he was around a phone, and plain technical glitches around him.

Donald Duck had died.

He had died once he fell. He really did die. Donald fell onto his knees, not knowing how to react to this news. Covering his beak, he felt tears spill out of his eyes. Donald knelt on his knees, sobbing his heart out, being as loud as he pleased.

Wasn't like anyone could hear him, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Donald! I'm happy with how angsty this turned out, usually I'm not good at writing angst.  
> (Also, you cannot change my mind of Donald and Della have a psychic twin link)  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudos and comments are appreciated. Thanks!


	3. Dealing With Frustrations

Donald wasn’t sure how long he sat on the ground. He wasn’t sure how long he was crying for, how long it took him to calm himself down, in the darkness of his room. Della never came back into the room (though, that didn’t matter. She couldn’t see him anyway), so Donald was alone. It took a while to calm down, but he did it. 

  
“Okay,” he muttered to himself, wiping his tears. “Okay. Let’s try again.” He got up, and walked over to the closed door. Slowly reaching out, he held his breath, hoping to be able to touch the doorknob.

He felt himself get angry when his hand went through it.

“Oh, come _ on _ !” he shouted, pulling back. “I just want to touch something! Why the hell am I not able to touch things  _ now _ !? Earlier, I was just fine! I was able to talk and touch things, so why  _ now _ am I not able to do these things!?” Donald shouted, pacing back and forth (not like anyone could hear him). He could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but he didn’t care. “Why can’t I just  _ touch something _ !” He formed a fist, and punched the wall. It didn’t matter, it wasn't like he was able to do any damage.

But he did.

Donald paused when he heard a loud crash. He didn’t feel anything at first, thanks to the adrenaline. His eyes widened once the pain started to go through his hand. Looking up slowly, he couldn’t believe what he saw. Just a few moments ago, he couldn’t touch anything. So  _ why _ did he punch the wall? Why didn’t he go through it?

The door opened, with the light turning on. “Donald? Are you in here, lad?” Pulling back his fist, Donald examined his hand. It wasn't too bad; nothing was broken, but he did break skin, causing some blood. Suddenly, there was a strike on his head.

“Ow!” he said, rubbing his head, with his other hand, where his uncle hit him with his cane.

“Where have you been, lad? Your sister has been searching everywhere for you. And here you are, punching your wall? Here, let me see that.” Pulling Donald over, Scrooge analyzed his hand. “You’re lucky it isn’t broken, lad,” Scrooge commented. “We just need to wrap this up; you’ll be fine. So, why  _ were _ you punching the wall?”

Donald took a deep breath, as he tried to figure out what to say. He couldn’t just tell his uncle that for some reason he couldn’t touch anything for a short while, and that he was some sort of ghost. “I...just had some pent up frustration, is all,” Donald said, which wasn’t a complete lie; he was pretty frustrated about his current situation.

Scrooge got the gauze that Donald always kept in his room (it was always used for times like this), and started to wrap his injured hand. “You know lad, you gave Della and I quite a scare. We couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Donald said with a sigh. “I just needed some time to think.”

“And you followed that with punching your wall?”

“...Yeah.”

“Donald, you have to be more careful. I don’t want to be paying to fix this wall every other day like I did back when you were a teen,” Scrooge scolded.

Donald sighed once again. “I know, Uncle Scrooge.”

“Lad, if you’re frustrated then...just talk to Della or me, alright?” Scrooge said, his voice softer, as he finished up wrapping his hand. 

“I’ll try, Uncle Scrooge.”

“Good. Now then, I’ll call your sister that you're here-she’s probably still out in Duckburg looking for you.” Getting up, Scrooge took out his phone as he left the room. Donald closed the door once he left, and he let himself finally freak out. 

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Donald said to himself. He reached out to the closed door, and rested his hand on the cool doorknob. “Alright. Why can I touch this  _ now _ when I couldn’t earlier?” Was he still dead? Donald placed two fingers on his wrist. He didn’t find a pulse. He reached up to his neck; no pulse either.

“Okay, so I’m dead. But why couldn’t I touch anything-”

The door slammed open. “Donald!” Suddenly, Donald was enveloped into a bone-crushing hug. “Donald, where have you been?” Della demanded. “I looked everywhere for you! And Uncle Scrooge told me that you punched the wall-what was that about?”

“Sorry Dells, I know you and Uncle Scrooge have been worried about me. I just needed some time to think, was all. Which led to me punching the wall.”

Della couldn’t help but smirk. “You haven’t punched the wall ever since you were an edgy teen going through your grunge phase.”

“Yes Della, I know that.”

“So, why’d you do it?”

“I just...had a lot of pent up anger and frustration, was all.” Della was silent for a few moments.

  
“Was it...from our fight?” she asked quietly.

Donald didn’t say anything, trying to think of what to say. “No, not really. It contributed a little bit, sure, but no, it wasn’t the real reason why I was angry.”

Silence filled the air as both twins stood there, thinking of something to say. “I’m sorry,” they both said, and immediately looked up at each other. The two began to laugh, almost forgetting about everything that had gone down earlier in the day. 

The two tried to forget everything that happened-they just continued on their days. Donald just hoped that Della forgave him for snapping. He spent most of his time experimenting, though. He would always touch everything around him, to make sure that he was still there. To make sure that he wouldn’t disappear. Sure, his sister and uncle were giving him weird looks during dinner, but better safe than sorry, right?

That night, Donald made a plan. Once he was sure that his sister (and everyone else in the manor) was asleep, he would fully explore his weird...ghost abilities. He would be able to go through the entire mansion as he pleased, and would be able to do what he wanted (as long as he didn’t wake anyone up, that was). 

It was a little bit challenging, trying to stay up while pretending to sleep as Donald waited for Della to fall asleep. He waited an extra while, just to be safe. Slowly getting up at two in the morning, he quietly left the room. Closing the door behind him, Donald left for the foyer. He would need space for practicing (he wasn’t even sure what all the abilities he had were). Taking a deep breath, Donald prepared himself.

It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a different route than I thought it would, but that's fine! I'm really happy with this, plus we got a little bit of Scrooge and Donald :)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this! Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Thanks!


End file.
